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Water damage restoration and cleanup in Royal Oak, Michigan

Royal Oak took one of the hardest hits of the August 2014 flood: 3,502 households here registered with FEMA for help. Most of its homes were built before 1980, on a sewer that carries storm water and sewage together, and we work in homes all over the city.

Call 248-845-0000Request help
From our office
7 miles, about 16 min
ZIP codes
48067 · 48073
Area codes
248 · 947

Our work in Royal Oak

Our Southfield office is about five miles from downtown Royal Oak.

  • Residential
  • Water damage
  • Sewage

Homes all over Royal Oak

We do the homes all over Royal Oak, whatever the street and whatever got in: a basement after a storm or a sewer backup, a burst pipe, a water heater that let go, fire and smoke. Our office is a short drive down I-696, so a crew is at the door fast.

Royal Oak's older houses, from 1920s bungalows and Tudor-style homes to post-war ranches, often have finished basements that hold far more than they used to. We dry what can be dried, take out only what has to go, and document every step for your insurer.

How fast we reach Royal Oak

Our office in Southfield is 4.6 miles from the middle of Royal Oak: about 7 miles by road, or 16 minutes when traffic is light. Across Oakland County a crew is on site in about 60 minutes, day or night, and when you call we give you a real arrival time.

From Southfield, crews take I-696 east along Royal Oak's south side, then Woodward Avenue, which crosses the city diagonally, or I-75 on its east side.

  1. You call

    A person answers 248-845-0000, day or night, and asks what happened and where.

  2. A crew heads to Royal Oak

    Trucks leave with the pumps, extractors, air movers and dehumidifiers the job needs, 7 miles from our office.

  3. On site in about 60 minutes

    The crew stops the water, makes the property safe and starts the drying the same visit.

Why Royal Oak homes and buildings flood

When homes in Royal Oak were built

82%before 1980

  1. 1939 or earlier: 17% of homes
  2. 1940s: 15% of homes
  3. 1950s: 29% of homes
  4. 1960s: 13% of homes
  5. 1970s: 9% of homes
  6. 1980s: 4% of homes
  7. 1990s: 3% of homes
  8. 2000s: 4% of homes
  9. 2010s: 5% of homes
  10. 2020 or later: 1% of homes

Median year built: 1956, across 31,130 homes and apartments. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024, table B25034.

Households that asked FEMA for help
  • August 2014 flood (DR-4195)3,502
  • June 2021 flood (DR-4607)42
  • August 2023 storms (DR-4757)109

Registrations from Royal Oak mailing addresses. A registration is a household asking for help, not proof of damage, and mailing addresses don’t follow city limits exactly. FEMA, OpenFEMA Housing Assistance data, pulled 2026-10-12.

  • A combined sewer

    Royal Oak's storm water and sewage share the same pipes, and the city treats the whole system as combined. It is one of 14 communities in the George W. Kuhn Drainage District, and one of the last to discharge into it, so it can't send unlimited storm water downstream.

    Source: City of Royal Oak

  • August 11, 2014

    Royal Oak officials estimated that about 8,000 of the city's 20,000 houses were damaged in the August 2014 flood.

    Source: CBS Detroit

  • Streets that flood on purpose

    To protect basements, catch basins on residential streets have restricted lids, so rain ponds in the street, usually less than 12 inches deep at the curb, instead of rushing into the sewer. The lids clog easily with leaves, so keeping yours clear helps.

    Source: City of Royal Oak

  • Your sewer lead is yours

    Owners are responsible for the sewer lead from the house all the way to the main, including the connection; the city maintains only the main line.

    Source: City of Royal Oak

Services in Royal Oak

Downtown Royal Oak, around Main and Washington, is an entertainment and dining district; Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital on 13 Mile Road has 1,131 beds, and Woodward Avenue runs through the city.

Local resources for Royal Oak property owners

Incorporated as a village in 1891 and as a city in 1921. About 57,950 people live in Royal Oak (Census, 2020–2024 estimate). If a public sewer backed up into your building, Michigan law asks you to give written notice to the agency that runs the sewer (the city, township or county) within 45 days of finding the damage.

Royal Oak neighborhoods

  • Vinsetta Park
  • Arlington Park
  • Normandy Oaks
  • Woodwardside
  • Westwood
  • Briarwood
Royal Oak ZIP codes, with housing age and FEMA history (2)
Royal Oak ZIP codes, with the median year homes were built and FEMA aid registrations after each flood
ZIP codeMedian home builtFEMA 2014FEMA 2021FEMA 2023
4806719521,8381743
4807319581,6642566

ZIP codes from the Census Bureau’s 2020 ZIP-to-place relationship file; housing age from ACS 2020–2024; registrations from OpenFEMA.

Royal Oak questions

How fast can you get to Royal Oak?

Royal Oak is about 16 minutes from our Southfield office in light traffic (7 miles by road). Across Oakland County a crew is on site in about 60 minutes, day or night. Call 248-845-0000 and we'll give you a real arrival time.

Which Royal Oak ZIP codes do you cover?

Every part of Royal Oak, including 48067 and 48073. If you're near the edge of Royal Oak, call and we'll confirm right away.

Why does my street fill with water in a storm?

By design. Royal Oak's catch basins have restricted lids that hold rain on residential streets, usually less than 12 inches deep at the curb, so the combined sewer doesn't back up into basements. Clear leaves off the lid near your house, and if water still reaches your basement, call us.

Request a call and we’ll contact you soon

Leave your name and number and a coordinator will call you back. If water is still coming in, or there’s smoke or sewage, call now.

Call 24/7248-845-0000
  • A person answers 24/7
  • On site in about 60 minutes
  • We work with your insurer

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Call 24/7248-845-0000Request help